Historic Pilot Chuck Yeager, Inspiration for The Right Stuff, Passes Away at 97

Chuck Yeager, an iconic World War II fighter pilot whose life served as inspiration for The Right Stuff, has passed away at the age of 97. The news was confirmed on Monday night via a post on Yeager’s official Twitter page, written by his wife Victoria. In the post, Victoria notes that Yeager passed away just before 9 pm ET on Monday, adding that he lived “an incredible life well lived” and that his “legacy of strength, adventure, and patriotism will be remembered forever”. Yeager made headlines for being the first person to ever break the sound barrier while in flight.

Born on February 13, 1923 in Myra, West Virginia, Yeager enlisted as a private in the U.S. Army Air Forces shortly after graduating high school, initially serving as an aircraft mechanic. Shortly after enlisting, Yeager was on track to become a certified pilot, and did so in 1943. Yeager continued to serve with the armed forces after the end of World War II in 1945, and became the first person to break the sound barrier just a few years later on October 14, 1947.

Yeager retired from the Air force in 1975, following over 33 years of active duty. In the decades that followed, Yeager grew to be a celebrity in his own right, with Sam Shepard portraying him in the 1983 movie The Right Stuff. Yeager himself cameoed in the film, portraying a bartender at a nearby club for those in the Air Force. He also served as the technical adviser for three flight simulator games made by EA – Chuck Yeager’s Advanced Flight Trainer, Chuck Yeager’s Advanced Flight Trainer 2.0, and Chuck Yeager’s Air Combat. Yeager even was able to break the sound barrier a second time on the 65th anniversary of him originally doing so, flying as a co-pilot in a flight out of Nellis Air Force Base.

Our thoughts are with Yeager’s family, friends, and fans at this time.